


Heart of The Rebellion

by Say_Anything



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Band Fic, F/F, Fluff, SO MUCH FLUFF, adora is a fan girl, also ft. boxer adora, glimmer is a pop star, it's all just cute, the pop punk band au that no one asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-02 10:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21159908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Say_Anything/pseuds/Say_Anything
Summary: Adora has been a secret fan of The Rebellion for ages. One night, attending one of their concerts, she comes face-to-face with the lead singer, and her long time crush.Feelings abound, drama ensues, and a relationship like Adora has never known before begins to bloom.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thank you for opening this fic! I wanna give a huge shout out to my friend Jade (who is also cosmicpeaches on here and you should absolutely go read her fics!!! She's a fantastic author) she is responsible for kickstarting my brain on this au, and coming up with so many wonderful ideas for it. The wonderful band name was her creation!  
Could not and would not have written this without her genius.  
Thank you! <3
> 
> This is only the first chapter, I hope you all enjoy it for what it's worth, more to come soon for sure!

“Hey, are you coming or what? Scorpia will be here in, like, ten minutes. I figured you’d want to shower…”

Adora straightened from her ready stance, lifting one hand to stop the swinging bag and turning to face her roommate—who, as always, had entered her room without knocking.

“Are you implying that I smell?” Adora asked with a smirk, leaning back against the heavy bag and crossing her arms—a difficult task with her gloves still covering her fists.

Catra looked her up and down, bi colored eyes flashing as her nose wrinkled. “I’m definitely implying that you’re disgusting, and I don’t want to be seen in public with your sweaty ass.”

Adora snorted and turned around, throwing one last cross at the bag. “Well, you’re in luck. I’m not going tonight.”

“What?” The sarcasm was gone from Catra’s tone, replaced by genuine disappointment. “You—We always go! And it’s the Crimson Waste. It’s supposed to be the grimiest club in the Fright Zone.”

“Grimy,” Adora repeated, cocking a brow and using her teeth to tug off her gloves. “Sounds charming.”

Catra rolled her eyes, throwing her weight against the doorframe. “Oh, come on, you’ve never had a problem with any of the other shitty clubs.”

Well, not one she’d voiced anyway.

But tonight, Adora didn’t want to fall into the same pattern of dive bars, mosh pits, and coming home with a headache so bad it lasted far into the next day. Tonight, she had plans. Ones she could not, under any circumstances, involve Catra or her other friends in.

“Sorry, not feeling it tonight. Tired.” Adora jabbed her thumb at the heavy bag and then crossed the room, flopping onto her bed.

Catra was still staring at her, gaze piercing. “So what? You’re just gonna sleep? It’s 9pm!”

“I trained hard today.” Adora countered, beginning to sweat—harder than she already was. It was entirely possible that Catra wouldn’t let her off the hook.

“You train hard every day!” Catra cried out, stepping into the room and throwing a feeble punch at the heavy bag. “Come on, Adora. There are supposed to be some awesome bands playing tonight.”

“Raincheck, Catra,” Adora replied, throwing one of her pillows to stop Catra from further provoking the bag. “I promise.”

Groaning, Catra headed back for the door, but not before throwing Adora’s pillow back at her face. “So lame. Why am I even friends with you?”

“Because I’m cute,” Adora grinned, closing her eyes and chuckling when Catra scoffed.

“Hardly. Sweaty and disgusting and ignoring the perfectly good shower we have down the hall,” she grumbled.

“Good night, Catra.”

“I’ll let you know all the awesome shit you miss,” Catra drawled, hanging on the doorknob even as she slowly eased it shut. “It’s gonne be so _cooooo_l.”

“Mhm.”

With a final groan, Catra shut the door behind her, leaving Adora in darkness.

Adora waited, still and patient, for the next ten minutes as Catra bustled around in the living room outside, blasting some pre club metal before a loud honk from outside Adora’s window signaled the arrival of Scorpia.

Adora could hear the others too, Lonnie in particular as she whooped and called for the both of them.

“Last chance, Adora!” Catra shouted through the door, but Adora remained silent, feigning sleep—as if it were even possible through all the noise.

The front door opened and then slammed shut and Adora heard Catra echoing Lonnie and Scorpia’s shouts. There was a brief moment of mumbling and then a loud ‘Boo, Adora!’ and then the screech of tires and finally--silence.

Throwing off the covers in a feverish haste, Adora sprinted to the bathroom and threw on the shower. If she wanted to make it downtown within the next thirty minutes, and not look like she’d spent the entire day lounging in her own filth, she needed to be quick.

Luckily, Adora was a master of the five-minute shower, and she was out and drying her hair within ten. After throwing it up in her signature ponytail, Adora bolted back to her closet, flipping through the limited variety of outfits she owned. Really, she should raid Catra’s closet, the girl had wicked fashion sense, but it she noticed any of her outfits missing if she got back before Adora did, then there would be questions.

Eventually, ignoring what she knew would be the overwhelming style of the event she was about to attend, Adora settled on a plain white t-shirt, a pair of tattered black skinny jean and boots and finally, a thin red windbreaker to combat the chill in the night air outside. It didn’t scream punk, in fact if anything, it screamed prep. But it was what she had to work with, and she was going alone anyway—odd looks were sure to abound.

Grabbing her keys, wallet, and of course the ticket she’d secured and hidden weeks ago, Adora bounded outside and hopped into her beat up Chevy Classic. The engine sputtered a few times before coming to life and Adora tore out of the parking lot of her apartment complex as fast as she could after a quick glance at the dashboard clock. She had exactly fifteen minutes before the doors opened.

As she drove, she popped in one of the CD’s she kept hidden in her glove compartment whenever Catra hitched a ride—which was always. If there was one thing Adora liked about her old car, it was the new stereo she’d installed herself. It came with a massive bass boost, which she never really used, because half the music played in this car rarely employed it. But the quality of the stereo did make the voice of her favorite singer sound absolutely angelic.

They were called The Rebellion.

The latest and greatest pop punk band to hit the nation and they came from Adora’s own hometown of Bright Moon. Adora had been listening to their album “For Etheria” on repeat since she’d managed to snag a copy from Sea Hawk’s Shanty shop.

According to Sea Hawk, he’d recently begun dating the drummer, Mermista. But Adora had literally never seen her around the shop or—anywhere near Sea Hawk in general, so she’d just smiled, nodded, and paid for the CD.

Although, she couldn’t help but think how cool that would be if it were true…

As the lead singer’s voice thrummed through her stereo and into the car, warming the interior with her melodic tones, Adora’s mind drifted back to Catra and the others.

They were metalheads, tried and true. And while Adora never minded their taste in music, they absolutely could not and would not stand hers. They were more than a little pretentious when it came to taste, and if they found out that Adora had ditched them for a pop punk concert? They’d never let her hear the end of it.

Adora didn’t consider herself a coward, or a pushover. But she certainly didn’t want to be shunned by the only people she could call her friends. And Catra. Her actual roommate on her case about this would be a living nightmare.

The drive only lasted about two more songs and then Adora was making circles searching for downtown parking, cursing herself for not leaving earlier as 9:30 hit. She knew the doors were opening now and that she’d probably be missing the opening acts.

Finally, after a near crash coming into a parking garage, Adora scampered out of her car and hurried down the crowded city streets towards The Palace. It was the biggest event hall that Bright Moon sported and tonight it was sold out for The Rebellion.

She reached the end of the line just as the last of it was pouring past the main doors. Adora flashed her ticket and held out her arms as she was scanned with a metal detector wand by one of the men wearing a STAFF t-shirt.

Her heart began to pound as he waved her through into the main venue. The stage was already lit up, the large drum set sitting empty at the back. People milled about in front of the stage, some talking, some chanting already, fists pumping in the air. Adora found herself near the front, squished in between two separate groups of girls who were holding signs at the ready. From this angle, Adora couldn’t make out what they said, but at least it was so busy and packed that no one was eyeing her strangely.

Adora felt her phone buzz in her back pocket, but before she could take it out to check it, the lights flickered and a long, low guitar riff cut through the air. Eyes rising back to the stage, Adora’s breath caught in her throat as she saw three silhouettes coming out onto the stage just as the guitar began picking up the notes of one of her favorite songs.

Everyone around her began screaming and cheering. Some shouting names, others simple “we love you’s!”; the noise was deafening. But Adora’s eyes were trained on the figure in the middle; the way the spotlights highlighted her soft curves from behind. Suddenly the lights at the front of the stage went up in an explosion and the room was completely illuminated just as the song began in earnest.

A beaming grin split Adora’s face and she began hopping on her toes with the crowd around her as the singer raised her hands.

Heavy, fast drumbeats filled her ears as Sea Hawk’s supposed girlfriend pounded on the drums, bobbing her head with the music. The light caught in her brilliant blue hair, momentarily distracting Adora from the vision that stood at the front of the stage.

Glimmer.

Lead singer, Bright Moon native, no older than Adora, and absolutely gorgeous. Adora had been in love with her voice from the moment she’d first heard it, but seeing her on the album cover, and now in person—she was almost ethereal. Short pink and purple hair that seemed to sparkle and shift in the spotlights, and tanned skin that looked as if it had been kissed by the sun. She held herself with a grace and confidence that made her seem taller than Adora knew she was, and the way she shifted and danced on the stage drew Adora’s eyes to her perfect curves.

God, she was gorgeous.

And Adora was hella gay.

Glimmer riffed a high note that sent a shiver down Adora’s spine and then the song was over and the crowd erupted, screaming and raising their signs.

“How are you tonight, Bright Moon?” Glimmer shouted, as the guitarist, Bow, picked up a little riff to play while she riled the crowd. Adora found herself whooping with the rest of the crowd; and when she jumped in excitement, she ended up quite a bit higher than the girls surrounding her.

Later, Adora wasn’t sure if it was thanks to the particular signs being held up by the girls beside her, or her own height that kept her above them, but as Glimmer queued the next song, she looked into the crowd, seeming to catch Adora’s eye.

It couldn’t have been more than a second, but to Adora it felt like a lifetime. Those vibrant lavender eyes locked with hers and the world stood still. There seemed to be everything in those beautiful depths, and they cut through to Adora’s core.

Then, in the next instant, Glimmer winked at her, and raised her hands, shouting, “Let’s have some fun!” and the moment was over.

Even still, Adora felt as if she’d been doused with a bucket of cold water; frozen solid as the next song began and people continued to jump and dance around her.

The show continued, Adora soon managing to lose herself in the music with the crowd, her eyes never leaving Glimmer—part of her was hoping to catch the singer’s eye again, although it never happened. Because of course it didn’t. It was probably her imagination in the first place.

Nevertheless, she thoroughly enjoyed herself, and after the band played their last song and traipsed offstage to raucous applause, Adora joined the stream of other people lining up for the after show meet-and-greet. Adora didn’t have a ticket—she’d barely been able to afford the one for general fair. But it was so busy, and the volunteers directing them towards the back seemed so overwhelmed, she was hoping she could slip through.

Past the mass of people, Adora could see the band lining up in the designated signing/photo/meeting area, surrounded by security and a very official looking rope. Glimmer was waving exuberantly at the crowd with Bow, while Mermista looked more bored than she ever had in their album cover. The line was moved along quickly, but Adora noticed a particular staff member moving closer, checking for tickets. Panicking, Adora dug her general admission ticket out of her pocket, clutching it in an increasingly sweaty palm as the man drew closer.

She kept her eyes on the band, one thumb pressed discreetly over the ‘general admission’ text in the hopes he’d just glance and walk away. Unfortunately, when he approached her, he gestured for her ticket and Adora was forced to hand it over sheepishly.

“This isn’t a ticket for the meet-and-greet,” he drawled, looking almost as bored as Mermista as he handed it back.

“I know, I know! But,” Adora glanced back at the line behind her, where only a few other stragglers waited, “the line isn’t very long. And I totally meant to—,”

“You didn’t pay, sorry miss. I’m gonna have to ask you to step out of line for those that did.”

“Look,” Adora knew she shouldn’t be arguing, but—this was The Rebellion. She was _feet_ away from them, when was she ever going to get this opportunity again. “I’ll pay for the difference now. If you can just—,”

“Alright, come on.” The man cut her off, reaching for her arm and disturbing the patrons both in front of and behind her.

“Hey, lemme go.” Adora tried to shrug him off but did it a bit harder than she’d intended and sent the man stumbling back a few feet. A few more concert goers turned to look at her, and unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), the disturbance drew the attention of the band too.

“Hey!”

Adora recognized the voice as Glimmer’s and she froze. This was definitely not the way she’d imagined ever meeting her. Not the impression she’d wanted to make. But suddenly, she realized that Glimmer was waving her over, despite being right in the middle of signing a young fans album.

On wooden legs, Adora gave the staff member she’d shoved a confused look—which he returned with a mildly annoyed shrug—and stumbled towards the band.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

She reached Glimmer, silent, struggling for something to say—an apology maybe—when the young woman grabbed her arm and with the sharpie she’d been using for autographs, scribbled a number onto Adora’s forearm. Releasing her, Glimmer looked up and gave her a brilliant smile.

“You’d better get out of here, before you get in trouble,” she said, jerking her chin towards the exit.

Adora swallowed, looked down at her arm, back up at Glimmer, nodded, and then turned on her heel and booked it out of the venue.

Adora didn’t remember the drive home, only coming back to her body once she stepped through the front door of her apartment. Shrugging off the windbreaker and tossing it on the couch on her way to her room, Adora glanced down at her arm again. The numbers were still there, plain as day, etched into her skin.

She entered her room on stiff legs, feeling as if she weren’t really connected to her body, and flicked off the lights, plunging the room into darkness. Flopping onto the bed, Adora wrapped herself in her thin comforter, staring at the number on her arm using her cell phone flashlight. She’d received a text from Catra earlier in the night, before the show. A selfie with the others at the Crimson Waste, but she hadn’t responded. She was supposed to be asleep.

As far as she knew, Catra still wasn’t home anyway. Which was a good thing, because Adora couldn’t seem to form a coherent thought for the life of her, and explaining the number, or her late return, would have been impossible.

Glimmer.

_The_ Glimmer.

Glimmer of The Rebellion.

Had pulled her out of the crowd. Her, Adora. And written her—_her—_number on Adora’s arm? Did she dare text? What would she say? Was this a joke? Was she being punished for causing a scene?

Slowly, Adora entered the number in her phone. Taking care to ensure that each digit was correct. 

She stared at it once it had been entered, Glimmer’s name at the top of her screen. Licking her lips nervously, Adora began drafting her initial text.

**Adora**: _Hey this is the girl from the show_

No.

**Adora**: _Hi, so my name is Adora_

No…

**Adora**: _Yo! What’s good?_

Fuck.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Adora took a deep breath and hurriedly typed something she hoped could be construed as charming.

**Adora**: _Hey this is Adora. You claimed my arm as your own after the show?_

Slamming her phone down on the mattress, Adora managed about ten seconds before she picked it up again to check for a response.

Nothing.

Groaning, Adora collapsed against her pillow, phone resting on her chest. Of course, this was a joke. What had she been expecting? Really?

_Buzz, buzz._

Adora nearly threw her phone across the room in surprise. Lifting it off her chest, she glanced at the notifications, blinking a few times to make sure what she was seeing was real.

Glimmer had replied. With a simple “Hey” and a string of winky faces. Adora felt her stomach drop and her soul ascend at the same time.

This was real. This was _REAL_.

…This was real.

Oh god, what did she say now?

**Adora**: _I’m really sorry for causing a scene_

A blue typing bubble appeared and disappeared a few times before Glimmer’s response came through.

**Glimmer**: _don’t be. how else would I have found you after the show?_

So, they had locked eyes. It hadn’t been a figment of Adora’s imagination. But why her? Why was Glimmer so interested in her?

Deciding that wouldn’t be the best question to lead off of, Adora went with something a little more neutral.

**Adora**: _The show was amazing! I absolutely love you._

She paused, quickly adding ‘_guys_’, before hitting send.

**Glimmer**: _you’re sweet. _

The typing bubble disappeared and reappeared again.

**Glimmer**: _and really cute._

Adora felt her brain beginning to melt out of her ears. She blinked a few times, trying to make sure that she hadn’t misread the text. But nope, it was there. Glimmer, _the_ Glimmer, had just called her—Adora, cute.

Giggling to herself, Adora snuggled into her mattress, pulling the covers up and curling around her phone.

* * *

“Bow,” Mermista drawled from over Glimmer’s shoulder. “That was way too forward. Where’s your game?”

“What game?” Bow shouted from Glimmer’s kitchen where he was currently pouring a bowl of after show cereal. “Glimmer likes her. So, what’s wrong with flirting?”

“That’s not flirting,” Mermista shot back, flopping on the couch next to Glimmer, who sat clutching her phone with white fingers. “Flirting implies mystique.”

Bow argued something unintelligible around a mouthful of cereal.

“She’s responding!” Glimmer shouted, quieting them both. Bow hurried over, leaping onto the cushions beside his band mates.

**Adora**: _me? You, Glimmer, calling me cute? Pot meet kettle._

Mermista threw back her head and let out a long groan. Bow made a squeaky sound of approval.

“Now what?” Glimmer asked, her hands practically shaking as she held the phone up.

“Tell her you like her big, beefy muscles,” Bow insisted, eating another spoonful of cereal.

“Ugh, god no. Keep it classy,” Mermista objected. “Tell her you like her eyes.”

“I like both of those things!” Glimmer shouted. “Guys!”

“Okay, okay, relax on the compliments,” Bow said, setting his bowl down on the coffee table. “Why don’t you ask her to meet up sometime? Get to know each other?”

“Yeah, okay, yeah. I can do that. Yeah.” Glimmer’s tongue poked through her lips as he began to type.

**Glimmer**: _well, I should repay such a lovely compliment. how about you let me buy you coffee sometime?_

Bow nodded approvingly and Mermista grunted as they waited for Adora’s response.

**Adora**: _I’m literally free whenever_

“God, she’s so gay,” Mermista groaned, getting up from the couch as if she couldn’t stand to be a part of the conversation anymore.

Glimmer ignored her and Bow waved her away.

**Glimmer**: _how does tomorrow sound then? Plumeria Café? 10 o’clock?_

Adora’s response came immediately.

**Adora**: _I’ll see you then : )_

Throwing down her phone, Glimmer leapt up from the couch and danced around the living room.

“I’m getting coffee with her, Bow!”

Bow laughed and threw up his hands. “I know, I was there.”

“Mermista!”

“What?”

“I’m getting coffee with her!”

Mermista gave her a bored thumbs up and turned on the television that Glimmer was still dancing in front of.

“Can you believe it?” Glimmer asked, turning to Bow. “What are the chances I’d meet someone, non-creepy, super gorgeous, and super gay at a show!”

Bow pursed his lips as if considering the odds. “Dunno, but I’m super glad you did.”

“Please celebrate somewhere else,” Mermista drawled, trying to peer around Glimmer. “It’s time for after show SVU.”

Glimmer stuck her tongue out, but plopped down beside Bow nonetheless. He slung an arm around her shoulder as she burrowed into his side.

“Congrats, Glimmer. I hope she’s as cool in person as she seems over text. You deserve it.”

Glimmer grinned, her eyes slipping shut as Bow’s warmth and the drone of the TV began to soothe her, but her limbs still trembled with excitement.

_Tomorrow…_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind reception to this story! I hope this chapter is just as fun and enjoyable!
> 
> It's first date time!
> 
> (I spilled coffee on myself while writing this chapter and I like to think it was destiny.)

Adora didn’t really sleep that night, instead more or less blinking for an extended few seconds before jumping out of bed to the sound of her alarm and throwing on her running clothes. She was wide awake as she snagged her windbreaker from the couch where she’d abandoned it last night, and tore out the front door, an extra spring in her step.

As she headed out of the apartment complex, she briefly considered changing her usual route and jogging past Plumeria Café, as if she could somehow scope out the area to prepare herself for her…date? Was it a date? Coffee was usually a date-ish thing, right? Even between friends it could be called, like, a coffee date. Right?

God, she was thinking too hard about this and it was making her jittery.

Trying to push Glimmer from her mind, Adora instead popped in her headphones, turning on some of Catra’s favorite music in an effort to derail her spinning thoughts. It worked for a little bit, until the wind snapped around the fabric of her windbreaker, shuffling the sleeves and revealing the barely faded number Glimmer has scribbled on her arm last night. She supposed she should try to get rid of that before the…date.

Speeding up, Adora headed down through the park, avoiding the train tracks that led into Fright Zone territory. Even during early mornings that neighborhood was sketchy. She couldn’t believe Catra and the others had decided to brave it late last night, most likely inebriated and without any sort of protection. She still hadn’t seen Catra this morning—in fact, she realized it might not be a bad idea to make sure her roommate was actually still alive.

Looping around the outside of the park, Adora picked up more speed as she charged back to the apartment, ending her run a panting, sweating mess. With any luck, she looked as terrible as she had last time Catra has seen her and there would be no question that she’d simply slept in her own filth while the others enjoyed the Crimson Waste.

Unlocking the door, Adora pushed her way inside, creeping through the main area to Catra’s room. The door was slightly ajar, but when Adora peeked inside it was too dark to see anything more than a bundle of blankets on the bed.

“Catra?” she whispered, half regretting it knowing that Catra wouldn’t appreciate being woken up this early.

“What?”

Adora whirled around, her heart nearly exiting her body as Catra’s voice came from behind her.

“Holy shit! Don’t do that!”

Catra looked exhausted, and super hungover, but her lips twitched amusedly around the cup of coffee she sipped at.

“Do what? You’re the one creeping around. You literally walked right by me while I was in the kitchen. I even flipped you off for good measure.”

Scoffing, trying to hide her embarrassment and failing, Adora pushed past her back towards the living room. “I was just making sure you were alive after last night.”

“Oh man,” Catra ignored the jab, following her. “It was so much fun. You missed Firewalk! God, they’re so amazing. And Scorpia even got to go up on stage.”

“Really?” Adora asked, mildly intrigued as she poured the rest of the coffee Catra had left in the machine. It didn’t occur to her until after she took the first swig that she’d literally be getting more of it within the next few hours.

So… She’d be extra energetic. Or an anxious, jumpy mess.

“Yeah! She tried to stage dive and practically crushed this group of dudes when they tried to catch her.” Catra burst into giggles, collapsing at the kitchen table. “And then Lonnie found this one chick she thought was hot and so she goes up to dance with her and this huge bro comes up all big and intimidating like “this girl is mine” kinda thing. But Lonnie literally just clocks the dude when he gets up in her face and the girl gave Lonnie her number!”

Suddenly, the numbers on Adora’s arm began to itch and she shuffled the sleeve of her windbreaker lower.

“No way.”

“I know right?” Catra threw her arms up above her head. “We had to leave after that, but we found another bar pretty easily. You really missed out…. How’d you sleep anyway?”

Catra was giving her a wicked and obviously teasing smirk, but Adora just shrugged and sipped her coffee that she shouldn’t have been drinking. “Good. I needed it. There’ll be other nights.”

Smirk falling into a frown, Catra narrowed her eyes and jabbed an accusing finger at Adora. “_If_ we ever invite you again, loser.”

“Oh please,” Adora scoffed. “As if you wouldn’t.”

Catra practically bristled and Adora raised a hand, ruffling her frizzy hair in the way she knew Catra hated. Suddenly, Catra’s eyes darted up and she caught Adora’s arm, pushing down her sleeve just enough to reveal the beginnings of Glimmer’s number.

“Um, the fuck is this?”

A cold chill swept through Adora’s body and for a moment she just stared at Catra, mouth hanging open dumbly.

“Hello?”

“Uh, it’s…A new client’s number,” Adora lied quickly, struggling to come up with a believable story on the fly. “I literally ran into him at the park on my run this morning and we got to talking a little bit. I didn’t have any paper on me.”

“But you had a sharpie?”

“…Yes.”

Catra’s bi-colored eyes narrowed under her thick brows. “So, this guy you ran into…at six-fuckin-thirty in the morning, decided he wanted you to train him so bad that he couldn’t just stop by the gym. He needed to give you his number right then and there with the sharpie you just so happened to be carrying?” A long pause stretched between them, until Catra smirked and broke it again. “You sure he wasn’t into you? Did you tell him that you’re the biggest lesbian this side of the Fright Zone?”

Twisting her arm out of Catra’s grasp, Adora took a few uncertain steps out of the kitchen. “Haha…No. I should have. I mean, I will. When he comes in. To the gym.”

“Did you catch his name?” Catra’s tone was calm, but Adora knew she was being interrogated, and that she was failing utterly.

“Kyle.”

“Kyle?”

“Yeah…It was Kyle.”

Catra slowly quirked a single brow. “Like… Lonnie’s brother, Kyle?”

“No…,” Adora found she couldn’t tear her eyes away from her roommate’s. “Different Kyle.”

Catra stared at her, stared into her soul, for what seemed like an eternity before finally shrugging and returning to her coffee. “Okay, Adora.”

“I need—I have to shower,” she stammered, attempting to escape. “I haven’t done it this morning. Last night, I mean. I haven’t showered since last night.”

“Gross.”

“Yeah.” Adora lingered in the doorway for a moment, fingers dancing along the handle of her coffee mug. “Okay, here I go.”

“I’m not stopping you.”

Adora nodded, creeping backwards down the hall until she was safely locked in the bathroom. Slowly setting her coffee cup on the counter, Adora collapsed onto the lidded toilet, covering her face with her hands and groaning quietly.

_God, that was terrible._

Catra had to know that something was up. And whether she’d gleaned that she’d been lied to last night or not, Adora knew there would be hell to pay sooner rather than later.

She’d have to deal with that another time. For now, she needed to focus on looking her best for the coffee date…And coming up with another excuse as to why she would be ditching Catra again, as the gym was closed today. Sunday was always her day off. She certainly couldn’t use the training excuse again.

Shaking her head, Adora hopped into the shower, taking longer than last night this time to ensure every inch of her was clean. Her arm, unfortunately, remained an unconsenting canvas for the faint sharpie marks, no matter how hard she scrubbed.

As soon as she was done, throwing her hair up into the same ponytail as last night—as every day really—Adora realized she needed to find something better than what she’d wore to the concert. How she’d managed to catch Glimmer’s eye in her five-year-old jacket and ratty jeans, she had no idea.

Unfortunately, her closet hadn’t changed at all overnight, offering her very little options. Finally, after a few failed attempts, she settled on a soft red flannel, a nicer pair of jeans, and her favorite red converse. She wasn’t going to blow anyone away, but at least she felt comfortable. Maybe that would quench the nerves she knew were sure to arise when she came face-to-face with Glimmer.

Glancing at the clock, Adora realized she still had a solid hour and a half before she needed to leave for the café.

Waiting around the apartment for that amount of time already seemed impossible, and Catra was sure to ask her to do something if she hung out in the living room. That meant finding an excuse to get out for most of the day, and now. Grabbing her keys, wallet and phone, Adora slowly crept out of her room, to find Catra lounging on the living room couch, some show she wasn’t even paying attention to playing on their tiny television. Catra looked up from her phone when she heard Adora’s door close, confusion wrinkling her brow.

“Where are you going? It’s Sunday.”

“Grocery shopping,” Adora lied quickly, her eyes darting to the kitchen where she saw not one, but three, empty cereal boxes lying on the counter. “Need anything?”

Catra shrugged and lay back down on the couch. “Literally all we have is expired milk, so anything you get I’m good with.”

“No particular requests for any, I dunno, Halloween candy that’s currently dominating supermarket aisles?” Adora teased, realizing too late she was quickly digging a hole in which she’d actually have to go to the grocery store after her date.

“I mean if you’re offering,” Catra drawled, sitting up again. “Get a combo pack. But nothing with Milky Ways. Those things suck.”

Adora shot her a thumbs up and headed for the door. “Deal, I’ll be back later. Gonna run a few other errands.”

“Whatever.”

Breathing a sigh of relief that Catra hadn’t questioned her further, Adora shut the front door behind her and raced towards the apartment gates. It was a brisk autumn morning, but not too cold to brave the walk to the café. And besides, pulling up in her old beat up Chevy in front of an actual punk star would be more than embarrassing.

As soon as Adora was past the gates, she slowed to a snail’s pace, glancing now and then at her cellphone to check the time. She still had quite a while before she needed to be there, but with no other plans, she found herself nervously circling the park a few times, rehearsing her opening lines in her head repeatedly.

Everything she tried sounded dumb.

Glimmer was going to hate her after this.

What had she seen in Adora in the first place? She was literally just a face in the crowd.

Sighing, Adora made one final lap of the park and headed for the café, still with about thirty minutes to spare, but…whatever, she decided. She’d be early.

The café was a small brown building with brilliant pink accents and new floral arrangements that sat outside the front door every day. The sign was hand-painted and featured their signature drinks—there were many pumpkin themed ones on the board today Adora noticed.

After a moment of consideration, Adora paused by one of the many green picnic tables that sat outside the café and took a seat. If she waited outside, she’d be able to see Glimmer coming and prepare herself. Unfortunately, it looked like the street was empty this early on a Sunday morning; the only soul a lone dog walker who gave Adora a good morning nod as they passed.

Biting her lip, trying to contain the anxious jiggling of her leg, Adora pulled out her phone to distract herself. She was surprised to see a text notification when she opened the lock screen.

**Glimmer**: _Hi! Im here. no rush. im super early._

Adora leapt to her feet so quickly she nearly knocked her head on the umbrella that was braced over the table. Whipping around in a complete circle, she searched the vicinity for Glimmer only to find an empty street dusted with fallen leaves that floated in the breeze. Frowning, she turned back to her phone.

**Adora**: _Um…Me too._

Right? This was the right café? Plumeria Café? That’s what she’d texted.

**Glimmer:** _what? where?_

**Adora**: _I’m right outside_. 

Adora stared intently at her phone, awaiting a response, nearly leaping out of her skin when the door behind her opened with a ding and someone called, “Adora?”

Whirling around, Adora came face-to-face with Glimmer, who was beaming at her with an absolutely perfect smile. Adora’s heart immediately began pounding, her palms going clammy and cold.

Glimmer stood about three inches shorter than Adora—even with the extra height she’d gained through the Doc Martens she wore. The tips of her wild pink hair stood up tall enough that Adora knew they would brush her nose if they were standing any closer. The thought alone made her itch. She was wearing an outfit that didn’t look quite like it could combat the cold, especially with the giant holes in the fishnet stockings, but it was also way more put together than the shirt and jeans Adora wore that simply screamed ‘I’m a lesbian.’

The light purple crop top Glimmer was sporting underneath a black leather jacket exposed just a hint of her midriff, the perfectly bronzed skin drawing Adora’s eye before she could think to stop herself. Quickly, snapping her gaze back up, Adora focused on the many studs that pierced the singer’s earlobes, almost impressed with the amount she managed to fit in them.

“Sorry,” Glimmer giggled, and Adora jumped again as she realized she’d been staring, mouth agape for longer than was probably appropriate. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay! I’m sorry I’m an idiot,” Adora stammered, stepping inside when Glimmer held the door and gestured her through. “I didn’t even think to look for you inside.”

“Probably better you let me find you. People tell me I’m hard to pick out of a crowd,” Glimmer teased with a wink.

A genuine laugh broke through Adora’s nerves, startling her. Glimmer just beamed again and then led her to the front counter where a tall blonde woman with flowers literally woven into her hair stood at the ready.

“Good morning!” The woman greeted with a smile that somehow outshone the singers. She leaned over the counter when they approached, directing her almost offensively wide smile towards Glimmer. “Glimmer! How was the show last night?”

“Great!” Glimmer too leaned forward on the counter as if she were sharing some conspiratorial secret. “I’m sorry you missed it.”

The woman nodded, her brows suddenly drawing low over her eyes. “Was Bow upset that I couldn’t come?”

“He’s an understanding guy,” Glimmer assured her with a wave of her hand—Adora briefly registered that her nails were painted a sparkling blue. “But I know he missed you.”

“Next time I’ll be sure to clear my schedule!” The cheery woman finally turned her attention to Adora, offering a small and well-manicured hand. “Hello!”

“Oh, Perfuma,” Glimmer gestured to the blonde woman and then back to Adora. “This is Adora.”

“Perfuma,” Adora repeated, attempting to memorize it as she accepted the handshake. She was terrible with names and forgetting one of Glimmer’s friends certainly wasn’t going to do her any favors. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s so nice to meet you too!” Perfuma was practically exuberant as she closed her other hand kindly over Adora’s. “I can’t believe there’s a friend of Glimmer’s that I haven’t met.”

Adora flushed a deep red, and Glimmer gave what sounded like a somewhat nervous chuckle. “That’s because we just met last night.”

“Oh… At the show?” Perfuma clarified, finally releasing Adora’s now very sweaty hand. When Glimmer nodded, Perfuma practically squeaked with joy. “How wonderful! We find friends in the oddest of places sometimes, don’t we?”

Before either Glimmer or Adora could answer, Perfuma was gesturing to the giant chalkboard menu behind her. “So, what can I get you two today?”

Glimmer shot Adora an amused glance out of the corner of her eye and then tipped her chin slightly, indicating she should go first.

“Oh, uh,” Adora peered at the enormous menu full of flavors and extravagant names. “Do you guys just do, like, regular lattes?”

“Of course!” Perfuma punched something into the register in front of her. “Any flavors? We have a couple of amazing seasonal choices. Pumpkin, cinnamon, maple, bourbon pecan—,”

“You know,” Adora stopped her before she could continue. “Vanilla would be great.”

Perfuma clapped her hands. “Excellent choice! Glimmer?’

“The usual, please.” Glimmer was already handing a card over to Perfuma before Adora could even think to reach for her wallet. She must have twitched toward it however, because Glimmer caught her eye and shook her head.

“No you don’t… I promised to treat you, remember?”

Adora felt another hot blush rise to her cheeks as she struggled to keep Glimmer’s gaze. “Thank you.”

“My absolute pleasure,” Glimmer replied, taking her hand as soon as Perfuma promised their drinks would be out shortly and guiding her to some of the plush armchairs in the corner of the café. Adora tried not to think too hard about the fact that her very sweaty palm was now locked gently inside Glimmer’s impossibly soft one.

They took a seat across from each other. Adora letting out a small gasp when the chair turned out to be even cushier than she’d expected, and she sunk down a few more inches than she’d prepared for. She blushed when Glimmer failed to stifle a giggle.

“Comfy?” she asked.

It wasn’t until Adora looked up, noticing the slightly shy smile Glimmer was wearing, that she managed to break through her own nerves. Knowing she wasn’t the only one who was anxious boosted her confidence just enough to come across as what she hoped was charming.

“I mean, it’s no cloud, but it’s nice enough I guess.” She shrugged and patted the chairs armrests as if to prove her point.

“Should I leave a complaint with the management?” Glimmer asked, gesturing to Perfuma who was still busy making their drinks. “’Coffee good. Chairs too hard. Rent some clouds or just shut down for gods sake’?”

Adora snorted, and Glimmer seemed to enjoy the noise greatly because her shoulders shook with quiet laughter.

“Sorry,” she blushed for what must have already been the fiftieth time in the last five minutes. “I usually try to hide my ugly laugh on the first date.”

“Oh, is this a date?”

Adora balked, almost back tracking until she saw the amused twinkle in Glimmer’s eye and realized she was being teased… Or maybe tested.

“I don’t know what else we would call it,” she replied with a nonchalant shrug, hoping to match Glimmer’s confidence.

“Hm,” Glimmer seemed to ponder that for a moment, looking down at her lap to hide the beginnings of a smile that Adora still caught. “Date it is then.”

It was then that Perfuma called their names and Adora stopped Glimmer when she tried to rise, offering to grab both drinks for them. Glimmer nodded and Adora could feel those violet eyes on her as she crossed the café.

After thanking Perfuma, Adora turned only to see Glimmer had moved from the chairs to the door. The singer waved her over, waiting until she was close enough before gratefully accepting her drink and explaining, “I thought we could go for a walk.”

“In this cold?” Adora found herself objecting before she could think.

Glimmer scoffed and pushed open the door. “This isn’t even close to cold. Are you even from Bright Moon?”

“Well, sorta,” Adora offered as she followed Glimmer into the chill, a small shiver passing through her.

“What does sorta mean?” Glimmer chuckled, taking a careful sip of her green tea—which Adora knew had to be scalding hot because it had been uncomfortably warm even through the cup.

“Well,” Adora paused, not really knowing if she should get into the story of her entire childhood ten minutes into her first date with her long-time crush… But how else to answer the question truthfully? “I was moved around a lot as a kid.”

“Military?”

Adora shook her head. “Foster kid. All my life really. Different families, different places. None of them ever really stuck except…”

Adora trailed off, the words catching in her throat as she thought of Ms. Weaver. Glimmer watched her quietly, patiently waiting for her to continue, but not pushing.

“Except for the last one,” Adora continued, finally finding her words. “My last foster mother lived here, but I was raised in the Fright Zone.”

Glimmer’s eyebrows jumped. “Really?”

“Yeah, sketchy, I know. But I wasn’t really a kid by that time anymore. Ms. Weaver fostered me and my—well my roommate now—when we were about thirteen.”

“That’s still pretty young,” Glimmer said, pursing her lips thoughtfully. “And that area is so full of scumbags.”

Adora shrugged, a wave of hot embarrassment washing over her. She knew Glimmer wasn’t judging her personally but talking about her childhood was always uncomfortable.

“I guess. We—Me and Catra—We looked out for each other. We got into a lot of trouble together, but also always managed to get ourselves out of it.”

“She’s your roommate now?” Glimmer clarified.

Adora nodded, her eyes on the many cracks in the sidewalk.

“That’s sweet.”

“It’s something,” Adora chuckled. “We don’t always see eye-to-eye.”

“Eh,” Glimmer shrugged and bumped her shoulder. “Who does? I argue with my roommate all the time.”

“You have a roommate?” The thought of who Glimmer lived with hadn’t really crossed Adora’s mind, but it made sense, she supposed. She either lived alone otherwise, or with her parents. And Adora couldn’t see a spirit like Glimmer’s being contained by a mother or father.

“Yeah, Bow! He plays guitar for the band,” Glimmer clarified as if it were necessary.

“Oh, I know,” Adora replied, toeing a small stone out of her way as they walked, unintentionally pushing it in front of Glimmer’s path.

“Oh, right,” Glimmer giggled, kicking the stone back at her. “I forgot you’re a huge fan.”

Adora’s face flushed, her entire body tingling. She took a nervous chug of her latte, burning her tongue so badly in the process that she couldn’t even taste the vanilla.

Seeming to catch the fact that she’d embarrassed her date, Glimmer quickly corrected, reaching out to touch Adora’s arm gently. “I’m sorry, I was just teasing. Sometimes I’m not so great at thinking before I talk.”

“Hey, me neither,” Adora replied, trying to ignore the pain in her tongue and looking up from the sidewalk to meet Glimmer’s concerned gaze. “But it’s okay. I mean, you’re not wrong. I am a huge fan. You literally blew my mind last night giving me your number. When I woke up this morning I thought I’d dreamed the whole thing.”

Glimmer’s smile was soft, her eyes darting away from Adora’s as a red tint colored her cheeks. “That’s really sweet of you. We’re just people though, y’know?”

“You’re famous!” Adora objected.

Glimmer laughed, the sound clear, ringing through clean morning air. “We’re really not though. We have one album that _my_ _mom_ produced, and we’ve never even left Bright Moon to play anywhere else. We’re just getting started.” Glimmer looked over at her, gaze soft. “That’s why it’s so sweet that you think so highly of us. It means a lot.”

Adora wanted to return the compliment, but her brain was stilling hanging on two words Glimmer had spoken. “Your mom produced your album?”

“Yeah,” Glimmer laughed again, stopping at the traffic light they’d reached and pressing the button for the crosswalk. “It’s nice because she supports us and that’s obviously how she shows it, but it’s also super embarrassing to tell people. So I don’t. You are now sworn to secrecy, Adora.”

She turned and held out her pinky, expression serious although her eyes still sparkled. Wrapping her pinky around Glimmer’s in a silent promise, Adora was almost tempted to pull her closer. But then the light turned green and Glimmer turned, leading her across the street, pinkies still linked.

“That’s really cool that your mom supports your music career, though,” Adora continued as soon as they’d left traffic behind for the park. She decided not to mention that she’d already circled it at least five times already today. Instead, she looked down at their hands as Glimmer now threaded the rest of their fingers together loosely. “There’s no way my foster mom would have done anything like that when I was growing up.”

Glimmer looked back over her shoulder almost sadly. “Well, she didn’t for a while. But my dad supported me. He always told me I was gonna go far. I think he was a big reason she decided to let me pursue music.”

“Oh yeah? Was he a musician too?” Adora asked, quickening her pace to keep up with Glimmer, letting their hands swing loosely between them.

“No,” Glimmer paused, her face suddenly turning stony. “He did love music though. He was always singing. I remember his voice more than anything.”

Adora frowned. “You remember—?”

“He died when I was just a kid.” Adora felt Glimmer’s fingers tighten minutely around hers. “Mugged on the way home from work, taking a shortcut through the Fright Zone, actually.”

“Glimmer—,”

“No, it’s okay,” Glimmer turned to her and Adora was surprise to see a smile. “Really. Don’t feel bad. We all lose people. That’s just how life works.” Her smile turned teasing. “Besides, sometimes I feel like Batman when I tell people my dad basically died in Crime Alley.”

Adora didn’t know whether to laugh or not, so she just squeezed Glimmer’s hand comfortingly and agreed with, “Batman’s pretty cool.” A pause as she considered some way to console her. “He’s not as cute as you are though.”

“Oh!” Glimmer turned around, walking backwards so she could fully meet Adora’s gaze. “Now she comes out of her shell!”

Chuckling, Adora raised a single brow and tugged on Glimmer’s hand, putting a stutter in her step as she drew her closer. “Is it working for you?”

She had to work to hold back another laugh as Glimmer’s face went red, her eyes widening even as a smile spread her perfect lips. “Um…Yes. Absolutely. More please.”

“Sorry, all my game comes out on the second date,” Adora countered, loosening her grip on Glimmer’s hand so that it was swinging between them again. “I reserve the right to be a nervous wreck on the first.”

“So we’ll definitely have to see each other again then?” Glimmer clarified.

“Oh, for sure,” Adora agreed, nodding astutely. “I have to pay you back for sweeping me off my feet.”

“I feel like unless you _literally_ sweep me off mine, this whole thing is moot,” Glimmer teased as she poked Adora’s bicep.

Adora was feeling far less shaky now, more comfortable than she’d been in a long time as she walked with Glimmer, talking about their lives. Like they were both normal people. They were, she supposed. It just hadn’t seemed like it at first.

“Would you like me too?”

“Think you could?” Glimmer countered, gesturing to all of herself.

‘You’re tiny, of course I could.”

“I’m gonna let the fact that you called me small slide _just_ because I’m really into this idea of being carried off into the sunset, but don’t push your luck.” Glimmer jabbed Adora in the center of her chest with one finger, eyes narrowing into a glare.

“What a fantasy,” Adora laughed, although she was more than happy to oblige.

Glimmer shrugged, pursing her lips. “We all have our kinks.”

Adore was trying to figure out how to respond to that particular comment when an idea struck her. “You should come by the gym sometime!”

Glimmer gave her a puzzled and somewhat offended look and Adora nearly slapped herself as she realized how rude her suggestion had sounded out of context. Quickly, stumbling over her own numb tongue, she squeezed Glimmer’s hand again and tried to explain.

“No, I mean—That’s where I work. The gym. I’m—I’m a coach. Boxing coach. I teach boxing at the gym. You should come by.” Somehow, her explanation felt even more hollow than her unintentional insult. Fighting the urge to turn and run, Adora tried again. “It’s really fun and I’d love to give you a free lesson in return for the coffee.”

Glimmer had perked up substantially, now her expression was extremely interested. “Really? You’d teach me how to box?”

“Well, I’d give you the basics,” Adora laughed nervously, tossing her still full coffee cup in a trashcan as they passed it. “There’s only so much you can pick up in one lesson.”

“I’m a fast learner,” Glimmer assured her, turning them in a circle so she too could throw her cup away. “And I like to punch things.”

“Me too.”

“So you box,” Glimmer let go of her hand, to Adora’s disappointment, to instead squeeze her bicep again. “Is that how you got these?”

Adora flushed and swallowed as Glimmer’s fingers lingered on her arm, although the joke was obvious, the intimacy of the gesture made her nervous again. “Uh… Yeah, I work out.”

Glimmer burst out laughing, the sound so infectious that even Adora joined her after she realized how dumb she’d sounded. Wiping a non-visible tear from her eye, Glimmer took Adora’s hand again, the gesture somewhat shy despite their now relaxed rapport.

“That’s hot, Adora,” she teased, nudging the blonde’s shoulder with her own.

“Is it?” Adora felt her confidence waning again as Glimmer sidled closer.

Glimmer blinked at her, as if she couldn’t believe Adora had even asked. “Yes! A tall, buff woman who can carry me in her giant arms and then pile drive me into the ground whenever she wants? Hot.”

“Pile dri—I would never—,” Adora stammered but Glimmer waved her off.

“Just a joke… Kinda.”

Laughing at Adora’s dumbfounded expression, Glimmer continued leading her through the park, only stopping them when her phone began buzzing incessantly; and loudly enough for them both to hear it through her jacket pocket.

“Shit, hang on.”

Adora felt her heart drop when Glimmer let go of her hand, already itching for her touch again. Glimmer studied the screen for a moment, then groaned and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

“I’m sorry. I gotta cut this short,” the words made Adora’s stomach ache, “Apparently Bow and Mermista managed to wrangle a slot at the studio today and I’m needed…”

“You’re working on another album?”

Glimmer stuffed her hands in her pockets, scuffing her foot on the sidewalk like a disappointed child. “Yeah.”

“That’s awesome!”

“It—Well, yeah. I just told them I would be with you today; I don’t know why they couldn’t get the space tomorrow.”

“It’s okay, I totally understand.” Adora tried to ignore the twinge of disappointment gnawing at her heart. “I owe you a gym lesson, remember?”

Glimmer’s smile was bright. “Right. So… Let me know when you're free and we can set it up.”

“Absolutely.”

Silence fell over them, Glimmer’s eyes dropping to her Doc Martens and then flickering back to Adora’s. She took a step closer. “I had a nice time though, Adora. Thank you for meeting me.”

“I did too,” Adora replied, her heart thumping wildly in her chest and Glimmer inched even closer. “I—Thank _you._ I’m… I’ll text you.”

“You’d better.”

Adora knew what was coming a split second before it happened. She closed her eyes just as Glimmer placed a hand on her cheek and rose up on her tip toes, pressing her lips lightly against Adora’s.

Sparks exploded behind Adora’s eyes and she could feel her heartbeat in her ears. Glimmer of The Rebellion was kissing her in the park. Standing on her tip toes, in boots, to reach her. Frozen in absolute awe, Adora was unable to reciprocate much more before Glimmer stepped back and offered her a sweet smile.

“I’ll see you soon, then?”

“Yes.” It was the only word that came to Adora’s one functioning brain cell and even then she had trouble forcing it past her tingling lips.

“Alright,” Glimmer chuckled, taking a few steps back and waving. “See you, Adora.”

Unable to process what her body was doing before it happened, Adora shot her finger guns. Glimmer’s eyes widened in what must have been disbelief before she shook her head and laughed loudly, then turning on her heel and shouting one last goodbye as she hurried out of the park.

Adora stared after her, trying to process what she’d just done and what had just happened.

She’d kissed Glimmer.

She had a second date with Glimmer.

…She’d given Glimmer finger guns….

And Glimmer still (probably) liked her. Still (probably) thought she was cute.

Floating on cloud nine, Adora turned and made her way back home, grinning the entire time. It wasn’t until she reached the front door that she realized she’d entirely forgotten to go grocery shopping.

But before she could turn around to remedy the lack of candy on her person, Catra opened the door.

“Hey, Adora.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm really scared for season 4 :D  
So my fear strung me up by the ankles and shook this really slice-of-life, fluffy chapter out of me. Enjoy!

Adora stared dumbstruck at her roommate, any words that might salvage the situation slipping through her fingers. Catra stared back, something in her gaze hard and unyielding, a grimace twisting her lips. She gave Adora a once over and then looked briefly past her shoulder, finally returning those piercing bi-colored eyes to the obviously guilty party.

“Forget something?”

“Um…” Adora struggled for an excuse, her brain spinning like wheels on slick ice. “My wallet.”

Catra quirked a brow and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning against the doorframe in a way that made it impossible for Adora to pass even if she’d wanted to try.

“And your car?” she jerked her chin over Adora’s shoulder and the blonde winced, not even needing to turn around to realize her mistake. She should have taken it, of course she should have. She hadn’t needed it to get to the café, but to get groceries? Yeah…She should have taken it.

“Yes,” she agreed simply, barely hiding the quaver in her voice, instead forcing a nervous laugh. She straightened up, crossing her arms and trying to match Catra’s almost bored confidence. “I got all the way to the grocery store before I realized I needed my stupid car. It just… Felt like a good day for a walk.”

Catra’s brows furrowed, her lips practically twitching into a snarl. Before Adora could try to further justify the lie, her roommate exploded. “Just how stupid do you think I am, Adora?”

“What?”

Rolling her eyes and scoffing loudly, Catra turned back into the apartment, stalking angrily into the living room. Adora knew the jig was up but turning and running now wouldn’t help the situation at all. So, reluctantly, she crept after Catra, following her into the living room and ducking her head in shame as her roommate whirled on her.

“Since when are you such a big fucking liar?” Catra accused. “And don’t say you’re not. Your Kyle story this morning was absolute bullshit. And the grocery thing? I can see your wallet sticking out of your fucking pocket, Adora.”

Meekly, Adora pushed the edge of her wallet further into her jean pocket, as if that would fix anything.

“What are you trying to hide? What’s so special that you can’t even tell me, Adora? _Me_?” Catra’s voice held a hint of hurt and it gnawed at Adora’s heart.

She hadn’t meant to hurt Catra’s feelings. She knew keeping her date with Glimmer a secret and attending the concert without her hadn’t been the best idea. But Catra had always had the tendency to be judgmental, and kind of rude, and Adora hadn’t wanted her excitement tarnished. Plus, this thing, this—whatever it was—with Glimmer felt special. It felt like _hers._

She and Catra had shared everything, since they were kids. _Everything._ Was there really anything wrong with wanting to keep something she really cared about to herself? Especially if she knew Catra would make fun of her for it?

“Look, I’m sorry, okay?” Adora tried, throwing her arms out in defeat. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“You didn’t ‘hurt my feelings’.” Catra mocked her with exaggerated air quotes. “I just want to know why you’re sneaking around. And ditching your friends.”

“I’m not ditching anyone! I just—,” Adora sighed, hand falling and clenching into fists at her sides. “I didn’t want you guys to know.”

“Know what?” Catra practically shouted, exasperated.

“That I went to see a concert last night.” Adora paused, but Catra was silent, obviously awaiting further explanation. “It’s just—You guys don’t even like punk music, but I really wanted to go, and I’ve had the ticket forever and—,”

“You ditched us to go to a concert… alone?” Catra clarified, a smirk quirking her lips as she leaned back, almost victoriously, against the back of the couch.

Adora frowned. “Yeah.”

“And this morning?”

Clenching her jaw, knowing what was coming, Adora pushed up her sleeve, revealing the faint numbers left over from last night. “And this morning I went on a date—"

Catra’s eyebrows rose.

“—With the lead singer of the band.”

After a moment of silence, Adora dared to meet Catra’s gaze. The brunette looked almost torn between surprise and betrayal.

“Who’s the band?”

“What?”

It was a question Adora hadn’t been expecting.

Catra rolled her eyes again. “I said who’s the band, Adora.”

“The Rebellion.”

Catra’s face was stony. “Never heard of them.”

“Well… That’s your loss. Because they’re good. And if you guys weren’t such assholes about music, I would have told you—,”

Catra’s brows shot up, her snarl returning. “Are you kidding me? You’re blaming _me_? When you’re the one who _lied, _twice, right to my face?”

“I knew you’d make fun of me!”

“For wanting to bang some chick from shitty punk band? Yeah! Who wouldn’t?”

Adora felt herself bristle on The Rebellion’s—on Glimmer’s—behalf. “You’ve never even heard them play. You don’t know them.”

“Oh, and you do, Miss ‘Die Hard fan’?” Catra sneered. “Miss ‘My super important date that I couldn’t tell Catra about didn’t even last an hour’?”

Frustrated, furious even, Adora dug the heels of her palms into her eyes—to block Catra out of her vision if nothing else. “This is exactly why I didn’t tell you. You’re such an ass sometimes.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have lied to me!” Catra shot back, her voice rising angrily.

Throwing her hands back down to her sides to avoid punching something, Adora shot back, “Well maybe I wouldn’t have if you actually treated me with some respect!”

“Are you gonna see her again?”

The switch in conversation was so sudden, it almost sucked Adora’s anger away entirely. Catra just stared at her, waiting for a response. Unsure of what to expect, Adora’s reply was almost cautious, as if she was questioning it herself.

“Yeah… I am.”

Catra’s eyes narrowed, but this time she couldn’t seem to hold Adora’s gaze.

“Whatever, Adora,” she muttered, turning suddenly from the argument and heading towards her room. “I’ll let you explain to the others where your priorities lie now.”

“Catra, don’t act like—,”

Catra’s door slammed shut and Adora only stood in shock for a moment before she turned on her heel, just as quickly booking it to her own room. Throwing her door closed just as loudly as Catra had, Adora whirled on her heavy bag, slamming her ungloved fists into it over and over again, until her knuckles began to crack and bleed.

Only when it hurt too much to continue did Adora flop onto her bed, using her pillow to cover her face, the high from her date with Glimmer entirely gone.

She remembered people often asking her why she and Catra didn’t just seal the deal and date back when they were younger. They’d been so inseparable. Well, Adora hadn’t known how to put it into words then, but now she just pointed to the incessant arguing, the explosive tension that always flickered and sparked between them.

She loved Catra, sure. But sometimes her roommate was so completely insufferable… So insensitive and immature…

With a heavy sigh, Adora rolled onto her stomach, readjusting her pillow underneath her chin and trying to force her mind back to her date. But Catra’s comment kept ringing in her ears. It hadn’t even lasted an hour. But that was because Glimmer had to get to the studio, right? She hadn’t been lying… Right? She wouldn’t just bail on Adora. They’d been having a good time. She’d even kissed her goodbye. Despite all the evidence, Adora couldn’t ignore the creeping doubt aching in her stomach thanks to Catra.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to recapture the feeling of Glimmer’s lips on hers. The warmth and gentleness encompassed in such a simple gesture with someone she barely even knew.

As if on cue, Adora’s phone suddenly buzzed with a text from Glimmer. Surprised, Adora opened it to see a picture of her posing with Bow and Mermista in a tight looking studio space. They were all grinning, except for Mermista who was resting on her drums set, chin propped in her hand, looking bored as always.

A smile quirked Adora’s lips and she sent a quick reply.

**Adora:** _ I’ve never seen anything more perfect._

**Glimmer: ** _oh no? have you looked in a mirror lately? _

Her text was followed by a string of heart eye emojis and Adora flushed, giggling to herself, the tight ball of frustration in her chest slowly unfurling.

**Adora:** _Last time I did it cracked._

**Glimmer: ** _listen i’d love to argue how unbearably attractive you are but bow says im fired from my own band if I keep flirting with you so… I gtg. _

She sent a kiss emoji, to which Adora responded with one as well, although her entire body trembled as she sent it.

Turning off her phone, Adora rolled onto her back, staring at the drywall above her and trying not to focus on the fact that she had a very long, very lonely day ahead of her.

* * *

“Glimmer! I will confiscate your phone, so help me. Put it away! We could only afford this space for four hours, we need to hustle,” Bow admonshed as Glimmer smiled giddily down at her phone screen.

“Hey, this is your guys’ fault!” Glimmer shot back, stuffing her phone away and shooting both of her band mates a chilly glare. “I _told_ you I was going on a date today. And you pulled me away from it early, so you have to deal with the consequences.”

“Oh please,” Mermista drawled, tapping her drumsticks on the rim of her snare in annoyance. “I have a date today too, but you don’t see me complaining about recording.”

Both Bow and Glimmer paused and turned to look at her.

“You what?” Bow asked.

“With who?” Glimmer added.

Mermista loosed a long groan. “Just this one guy I met at the record shop. It’s not a big deal. Can we not lose our minds over it, please, and leave the drama to Glimmer?”

Glimmer stuck out her tongue, pulling on her headphones and stepping up to the microphone. “Well, what if we run long and you miss _your _date? Then you’ll understand my pain.”

“Whatever.” Mermista just rolled her eyes.

“Hey guys, check it out. I learned the bass line from Final Fantasy IV,” Bow interrupted in an effort to stop the budding fight. The two women stared at him as he began to demonstrate his new skill.

“Are you all planning on starting anytime soon?” Their sound engineer, Entrapta, interrupted the argument from where she sat spinning in her chair behind the mixing board.

“Yes!” Both Bow and Mermista shouted at the same time.

“Wait, what song are we even starting with?” Glimmer asked just as her band mates picked up the opening to their new song “Whole Lotta Princesses”.

Not given much of another option, Glimmer began to sing, although her mind still lingered on Adora.

* * *

Adora spent most of the week either at the gym or locked in her room. Catra refused to speak with her and Scorpia, being the loyal girlfriend that she was, also ignored Adora when they worked simultaneous shifts at the gym together. Although, Adora suspected from her many curious glances that she wasn’t actually angry, just confused. Lonnie, for her part, didn’t seem to care, but she wasn’t around either; constantly hanging out with the girl she’d met at the Crimson Waste. And Kyle, well, he was Kyle. Adora wasn’t about to hang out with him anytime soon.

So she threw herself into work, picking up extra shifts and urging her usual clients to come in more often. She kept up with Glimmer of course. The singer was too busy to meet up again for her free training session, but she seemed to want to talk to Adora nonetheless. Adora found herself checking her phone more often, disappointed when the screen was blank, and absolutely elated when she saw the notifications from Glimmer. Lighting up when she hear the telling ‘ding’.

They never really discussed anything deeper than their activities that day, a shift from how intimate they’d gotten during their first date, but Adora didn’t mind. Glimmer was funny, and still wildly flirtatious and bold, and sweet. Often times, she completely lost herself in their conversations at night when Catra decided to take over the living room, forcing Adora into her own room with icy stares.

Adora knew she should smooth things over with Catra, and soon. But something was holding her back—pride maybe, or plain stubbornness. She’d always been extremely hardheaded. So she remained silent. Accepting her exile from her friends with rueful determination not to let it slow her down. Although, a deep loneliness was beginning to set in.

Finally, one night, about a week after her date with Glimmer and subsequent fight with Catra, Glimmer proposed they act on their second date plan.

**Glimmer:** _ hey so im 100% free tomorrow all day no studio plans… are you still up for teaching me to punch things?_

**Adora:** _ Of course! Feel free to come in whenever. I don’t have clients scheduled on Fridays. _

**Glimmer**: _:O I get you all to myself?_

**Adora:** _lol all yours_

She hesitated, nervous, before committing to sending a winking emoji.

**Glimmer: ** _what should i bring? I don’t gym what are the rules is there a dress code?_

Adora chuckled to herself.

**Adora: ** _Just wear something comfortable. I’ll get you some gloves and hand wraps._

Glimmer’s typing bubble disappeared and reappeared a few times before she responded.

**Glimmer:** _sweet! im excited! Im sorry it’s been such a busy week… im really looking forward to seeing you again _

Adora felt her heart skip a beat in her chest.

**Adora: ** _me too._

For a brief moment, she considered unloading her woes on Glimmer, expressing just how lonely she was. But she quickly decided against it. She still didn’t know Glimmer that well and dumping all of her issues on a girl she was trying to impress would probably have the opposite effect. Before she could decide, Glimmer called the conversation for her.

**Glimmer: ** _sleep tight <3_

Adora sent her a sleep emoji and a heart and then turned off her phone, rolling over onto her side, studying the cracks in her drywall as her body buzzed with excitement.

She had just closed her eyes to sleep when she heard the front door open and the sound of Scorpia’s voice filled the apartment as she greeted Catra. Wishing the walls of their apartment weren’t so thin—and simultaneously wishing that Scorpia wasn’t always so loud—Adora threw her pillow over her head in a futile effort to drown out their conversation.

“Hey,” Scorpia’s voice. “Where’s Adora?”

“Her room, probably. I don’t know. Don’t really care either.”

“Oh, are we still not talking to her?”

“Not until she apologizes for lying to my face… And even then, I might make her sweat.”

Scorpia sighed.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

There was a brief moment of tense silence.

“So… Are we staying out here then?”

A grunt from Catra followed that and then the sound of her bedroom door opening and closing resonated through the apartment. So Scorpia was spending the night. Sighing, Adora pressed her pillow tighter over her ear in advance and squeezed her eyes shut, knowing she was inevitably in for a long night.

* * *

The next morning, Adora tried on a few different gym outfits, trying to look her best. The wonderful thing about working at her gym was a lack of dress code. So long as they looked like they were ready to workout, the employees could wear whatever they wanted. Finally deciding on a pair of leggings cut off just below her knee and a bright red fitted tank top with the logo of the gym plastered on the front, Adora grabbed her things and hurried out the front door.

She didn’t see Scorpia or Catra when she left, and she briefly wondered if Scorpia would even be working today. Maybe, if she was, Adora would be able to introduce her to Glimmer. And then Scorpia would tell Catra how cool she was and their whole fight would be forgotten. After all, from what Adora had heard of their conversation last night, it didn’t sound like Scorpia was that invested in the fight.

In any case, it was wishful thinking, Adora knew. But she couldn’t help it.

She got to the gym right as it opened, her enormous man of a boss, Rogelio, still unlocking the doors as she pulled up. Rogelio was the strong silent type, he only offered Adora a wave and a quiet good morning before heading to the back office to set up.

Adora threw her bag down by the ring, and then ran to the storage room to grab a spare pair of gloves. To her surprise, they had purple ones with matching hand wraps. Adora grabbed them immediately. After setting them carefully on the edge of the ring, Adora began her daily task of cleaning the gym, looking up at the sound of the door every time it dinged. Unfortunately, each time, it was just another gym member coming to work out.

Adora began to grow anxious as the time ticked by, checking her phone now and again, almost expecting a cancel text from Glimmer, but nothing came. Frustrated, and needing something to get her nerves under control, Adora pulled on her own gloves, and began pounding away at a heavy bag.

She’d only been working it for about five minutes when the door to the gym chimed again and she turned to see Glimmer entering, with Bow right behind her. Surprised, but not disappointed, to see the guitarist of her favorite band in her very own gym, Adora tore of her gloves and hurried to meet them both.

Glimmer waved enthusiastically when she saw her, violet eyes flicking not so subtly over Adora’s body as she approached. Adora drank her in much the same. She was wearing a flowy, purple tank top and black spandex shorts that accented her lovely thighs. She’d taken most of her piercings out for the occasion, the forethought of which Adora appreciated. A bright pink sweatband held back her bangs, making her wild hair stick up more than usual.

“Hey!” Adora stopped just short of embracing her, not sure that would be appropriate in front of her bandmate. Instead she clenched her fists at her sides, body going rigid. “You made it.”

Glimmer didn’t seem bothered by Adora’s lack of contact, instead nodding excitedly and then pulling Bow forward by his elbow. “Of course! I hope it’s okay that I brought Bow. He was really jealous when he heard what I’d be doing today.”

“Not a problem at all.” Adora held out her hand. “It’s really nice to meet you. I’m Adora. Big fan.”

“So Glimmer has said,” Bow grinned, taking Adora’s hand firmly. “But you’re the badass one here. You could literally knock me unconscious without even trying, how cool is that?”

Adora laughed nervously. “I would never—,”

“But still!” Bow’s voice cracked, but he didn’t even try to hide it, which Adora found rather endearing.

“Bow, Adora is going to teach us how to be actual fighters. We won’t use this power for evil,” Glimmer insisted seriously, shaking Bow’s arm. He nodded almost dejectedly and Adora couldn’t help but laugh.

“You guys ready? I’ve got your gloves over here. Bow I’ll have to grab you some real quick.” She jerked her thumb back towards the ring and both band members lit up. She left them for a moment, hurrying to grab Bow a pair of golden gloves before rushing back.

“Alright, Glimmer first,” Adora said, handing off the golden gloves to Bow as she returned and gesturing Glimmer forward while Bow stared at his gloves in awe.

Untangling the purple wraps, Adora took one of Glimmer’s hands, a tingle running through her as she connected with the impossibly warm and soft skin again. Glimmer’s blue nail polish had chipped in the week that had passed, but Adora decided it would be best not the comment. She hopped up, sitting on the edge of the ring and pulled Glimmer forward until she stood nestled between her legs. A slight red tint colored the singer’s cheeks.

“You got me purple ones,” she commented, her voice uncharacteristically shy. “Did you know that’s my favorite color?”

Adora nodded towards her tank top with a smile. “I guessed.”

Glimmer looked down at herself, her blush deepening as if she’d forgotten what she was wearing. Adora finished with one hand and moved onto the other.

“Too tight?”

Glimmer shook her head. “Don’t think so.”

Finishing with the other hand, Adora helped her tug on the gloves and then raised one of them to her lips, pressing a quick kiss to the padded knuckles. Glimmer’s eyes went wide and Adora couldn’t help another smile.

“It’s good to see you again,” she murmured.

Glimmer beamed, unable to respond before Bow cleared his throat, one brow cocked in obvious amusement. Waving Bow over, Adora reached for his hands, but he pulled back just before she could get a grip.

“Am I getting a kiss too?”

Adora snorted, feeling herself flush. “Did you want one?”

“Not particularly, but if you’re offering…” 

Scoffing as Bow grinned teasingly, Adora helped gear him up and then pulled on her training mitts, helping them both under the ropes of the ring. She set them up on either side of her, quickly showing them how to lower themselves into a boxing stance before moving back to demonstrate the first combo.

“Alright, guys, I’m gonna start you off with the most basic of combos. A jab, cross.”

Bow watched intently as she showed them the combo, his brows furrowed in concentration. Glimmer on the other hand was staring, wide-eyed and looking slightly dazed.

“Hands up,” Adora corrected her as her gloves began to lower, and Glimmer quickly snapped them back into place, her cheeks reddening again. Raising her mitts, Adora nodded at Glimmer, and she attempted the combo she’d been shown.

Her punches were unsure, the timing stilted, but behind the throw was a lot of power.

“Nice,” Adora commended her, genuinely impressed and Glimmer beamed, although she managed to stay focused enough to keep her ready stance. “But commit to it next round, okay?”

Turning to Bow, Adora raised her mitts again as the young man threw the same combo. His hits were lighter but faster and surer than Glimmer’s had been. As they continued, switching back and forth, with Adora throwing more combos in as they went, the two grew more confident and Adora fell back easily into the role of poised trainer.

By the end of the hour, they were both panting and covered in a thin sheen of sweat, but Adora was more than impressed with their progress.

“Let’s call it for now,” she said, tearing off her mitts and throwing them aside. “You guys did great!”

Bow collapsed onto the floor of the ring, his chest heaving. “How do you do this every day?”

“Years of practice,” Adora laughed, helping Glimmer undo her gloves and tossing them in the same direction as her mitts. “It’s a lot of work. But seriously, you guys are naturals. If you’re interested in signing up… I’m just saying I’d be more than happy to train you.”

Bow raised his head weakly. “Really?”

Adora nodded and both Glimmer and Bow exchanged intrigued glances.

“Think about it,” Adora insisted before either could respond. “I just think it would be a lot of fun.”

_Plus, we’d get to see each other way more often_.

“In any case, you guys are free to go, or you can hang around and mess with the weights or cardio equipment if you want,” she offered, gesturing to the entire gym.

“I’m not sure I have the energy left to even get off this ring,” Bow groaned as Glimmer helped him up. “I’m so hungry.”

“We should get food,” Glimmer agreed, brightening suddenly and turning to Adora. “You should come with us!”

Adora looked around the gym. It was relatively empty, and the day had been slow. If she asked nicely, maybe Rogelio would be willing to man the front.

“Gimme a sec,” she said, hopping down from the ring and hurrying to the back office.

“Rogelio?” she knocked once, already sticking her head through the door. The giant man looked up.

“Uh, I was gonna run out and grab some lunch. Would you mind watching the front for like an—,”

Rogelio simply nodded and waved her away. Internally fist pumping, Adora rushed back to Bow and Glimmer, who both waited leaning haggardly on the ring.

She shot them a double thumbs up. “Let’s go.”

Both band members brightened and gathered their things, following Adora out of the gym.

“Oh my god,” Glimmer complained as they stepped outside. “I can’t even walk. I’ve never squatted that long in my life.”

“My ass feels like it’s on fire,” Bow agreed.

“You’ll be pretty sore for the next few days,” Adora informed them matter-of-factly. “But that just means you worked super hard and earned it.”

“Hell yeah we did,” Bow shouted, pumping his fists. He suddenly grimaced and slammed his arms down to his sides. “Wow, okay… Note to self. Don’t raise your arms. You smell like a dump truck.”

“Oh, the gym has a shower.”

“Now you tell us?” Bow complained, throwing out his arms again despite his own warning.

The three burst into giggles and Adora found herself feeling lighter than she had in days. If she couldn’t hang out with her other friends anymore, at least she had Bow and Glimmer. As they walked, Bow began to chatter about the new album the band was working on, and Glimmer silently slipped her hand into Adora’s, lacing their fingers together.

Adora looked down at their hands and then back up at Glimmer, who met her gaze with a tender smile and then leaned against her shoulder. She was quite a bit shorter, without the Doc Martens, but the perfect height for Adora to quickly rest her cheek against the top of her head. A move that she hoped went unnoticed by Bow.

They soon found a small burger place, heading inside and piling tiredly into a booth together. Bow groaned as leaned back against the cushion and then threw his head back releasing a frustrated, “Aw man….”

“What’s with you?” Glimmer asked, reaching over Adora for one of the menu’s held in the napkin dispenser.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Bow groaned, bracing his hands against the table. “But my legs are hardly working.”

Adora watched, not bother to hide her amused smile as Bow hefted himself up and waddled towards the bathroom.

“Get me a soda!” He called over his shoulder. “I want to ruin all the calorie burning I did today.”

As soon as he’d disappeared, Glimmer set down the menu and turned to face Adora, her eyes sparkling excitedly.

“Hi,” she said with a smile that mirrored Adora’s own happiness.

“Hi,” Adora chuckled, heart fluttering in her chest.

“I’m sorry Bow’s kinda third wheeling, but he really wanted to come and he gave me these eyes. I couldn’t say no,” Glimmer explained as she reached for Adora’s hands again, tangling their fingers together once more.

Adora shrugged a single shoulder. ‘It’s really okay. I had fun.”

“Me too.” Glimmer paused, leaning forward slightly before stopping, her nose wrinkling. “I’m also sorry I’m a gross and sweaty mess right now.”

“Hey, I’m a gross and sweaty mess all the time,” Adora laughed. “Catra’s always on me about showering…”

Trailing off as the bitter anger toward her roommate returned, Adora looked away from Glimmer, focusing instead on the menu between them.

“You okay?” Glimmer prodded when Adora fell silent, nudging her shoulder.

Deciding she was tired of keeping her frustration at Catra inside, Adora shook her head minutely. She didn’t necessarily have to tell Glimmer _why_ she’d fought with Catra. Learning she’d been kept a secret might offend her. But she could at least tell her how rough her week alone had been. “I got into a bad fight with Catra earlier this week. She hasn’t talked to me since and the rest of my friends decided to ignore me too. It hasn’t been the easiest few days.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Glimmer murmured. “You did tell me you guys don’t always see eye-to-eye, maybe it will pass?”

“Yeah, maybe,” Adora had hoped that was the case, but it didn’t look like Catra would be forgiving her anytime soon.

“Friends fight, Adora. I’ve known Bow since we were basically babies and we fight hard all the time. It sounds corny, but really, it’s all about communicating with the other person. A problem can usually be solved if you just take a second to look at it from the other person’s point of view.” Glimmer leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to Adora’s cheek and running her thumb over the blonde’s calloused knuckles.

“If it’s any consolation, Bow and I really like hanging out with you.”

“It is,” Adora admitted with a smile. “I like you—guys too.”

She stuttered on the word ‘guys’, almost deciding not to include it and intentionally focus on Glimmer. The singer seemed to understand though because her eyes flickered once to Adora’s lips and then she was leaning forward and Adora let her eyes slip shut when suddenly—

“Alright, I’m back. No more making out please,” Bow declared loudly, slipping into the booth as Adora and Glimmer jumped apart, both blushing.

Bow gave them a knowing smirk and then snagged the menu from between them. “Did the waiter grab drinks yet?”

“I think we have to go up there,” Adora jerked her chin towards the counter behind them, where a cashier stood waiting.

Bow looked over his shoulder, then at the menu, then back down at his legs and threw back his head in an exaggerated moan.

Adora laughed, squeezing Glimmer’s hand once more before shuffling out of the booth. “I’ll go order, what do you guys want?”

After relaying the order Bow and Glimmer gave her to the cashier, Adora grabbed their number and sidled back into the booth, scooting close enough to ensure her thigh brushed Glimmer’s. The singer noticed, because she smiled and leaned into Adora, one of her hands falling below the table to rest against the blonde’s thigh.

Adora knew her blush was brilliant enough for Bow to notice, but luckily, he seemed too distracted by his phone to catch it.

“So, Adora, did Glimmer tell you about our next show?” Bow asked, eyes slowly rising from his phone, although his thumbs still flew over the screen. “Because you should totally come.”

Surprised, Adora glanced at Glimmer who appeared almost embarrassed by Bow’s offer. “No, she didn’t.”

“We’re just playing in a dive bar,” Glimmer explained. “It’s nowhere near as amazing a venue as The Palace was.”

“Yeah, but it’s still a show,” Bow countered. “It’s at the Crimson Waste. Come!”

Adora’s stomach dropped, but she forced a casual smile. “In the Fright Zone?”

“Yeah,” Glimmer muttered, her hand tightening slightly on Adora’s thigh. “We know it’s kinda risky.”

“But any publicity is good publicity. Right? That’s how that works?” Bow teased. “We’ll be fine. And anyway, if you come, you can wallop any bad guys that might try to mess with us!”

Adora’s laugh was uncertain. “I mean, I’d love to. But I’m not sure I can afford another ticket right now…”

Both Bow and Glimmer looked at her like she had lobsters crawling out of her ears.

“What?”

“Adora,” Glimmer’s tone was admonishing. “Of course we’re getting you in for free.”

“Really?” Adora blinked.

“Duh!” Bow set his phone down harshly on the table. “You’re our friend!”

Adora’s heart fluttered in her chest, lips curling into an unbidden smile.

“And besides,” Bow continued before she could thank him. “If Mermista’s new boyfriend gets to come for free, then obviously Glimmer’s—,”

He trailed off, eyes darting away as he realized what he’d implied. Adora felt her own face beginning to burn, but Glimmer leaned forward on the table, resting her chin casually in one palm.

“My what, Bow?”

“Your…” his eyes flickered nervously between the two of them. “…Boxing coach?”

Before anyone could react to that, their food arrived, and they buried the awkward slip in stuffing their faces with food. It didn’t take long for them to pick up conversation again, leaving the question behind for lighter topics. Finally, after they’d finished and made their way out of the restaurant, Bow dug around in his pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill, handing it to Adora.

“I feel bad making you pay for all that,” he explained, holding it out.

But Adora waved him away. “Consider it payback for the free ticket you’re giving me.”

Bow’s eyes narrowed and he pushed the bill closer. “That sounds counterintuitive to the idea of a free ticket. Here, pretend it’s for the boxing lesson then.”

“That was on me too,” Adora insisted, refusing to look at the bill now.

Shaking her head, Glimmer grabbed the bill from Bow and tugged on the lip of Adora’s leggings, shoving it just inside the spandex. Adora nearly jumped out of her skin and even Bow burst into laughter.

“Just take it, Adora,” she insisted, patting the dollar where it stuck out against Adora’s red tank top. “Or else we’ll be here all day.”

Nodding mutely, Adora took the dollar from her pants, and shoved it into the zip up pocket on her thigh.

“Well… Thank you,” she stuttered, and Bow beamed his acknowledgment. It was then that his phone began to buzz and after briefly glancing at the screen, he excused himself.

“I’d love to walk you back to work, but I’ve gotta go pick Perfuma up, her shift just ended. We’ll see you at the show, Adora!”

Without waiting for confirmation, he turned on his heel and hurried down the street. Adora felt Glimmer’s hand slide into hers and then she was tugging the blonde back toward the gym.

“You don’t need to go too?”

“Nah,” Glimmer waved her free hand. “I mean, I could use the world’s longest nap, but I’m happy to walk you back to work.”

Adora squeezed her hand in silent gratitude and Glimmer smiled at her. It faded quickly however, and she looked down at her shoes as they walked. “You don’t have to come to the show, y’now. We kinda talked about what a crazy place the Fright Zone is and I won’t blame you if you don’t wanna mess with any of that.”

“Who else is gonna watch your back if I don’t come?” Adora replied, tugging on her hand to draw her attention back up.

Glimmer’s smile returned, for which Adora was thankful. Looking at that smile made no less than a thousand butterflies explode in her stomach.

“Ah, so you’ll be my bodyguard, then?”

“I was thinking something more along the lines of a knight in shining armor,” Adora teased.

“Oh, does that make me the damsel in distress?” Glimmer asked, cocking a single brow.

“It makes you the badass princess who can easily take care of herself, but enjoys being carried off into the sunset,” she replied with a victorious smirk as she recalled their first date.

Glimmer’s brows rose. “Thank you for reminding me. I’m still waiting for that ‘sweep me off my feet’ thing.”

“And I’m still waiting for the opportune moment,” Adora countered.

Glimmer laughed, and the sound made Adora feel like she was floating. She swung her arm playfully between them, the way Glimmer had done on their first date, and suddenly her eyes caught something on the singer’s back that she hadn’t been able to see before.

“What are these?” she asked, pausing so suddenly that she nearly tripped Glimmer in the process.

“What?” Glimmer looked over her shoulder, following Adora’s gaze and then realization brightened her features. She let go of Adora’s hand, turning around entirely and pulling the straps of her tank top forward so that the blonde could more clearly see the two small but intricate wing patterns tattooed on her shoulder blades.

“You like?”

Yes, she definitely liked. Almost tempted to reach out and trace them, Adora managed to stop her hands from landing just before they reached Glimmer’s shoulders, resting on her waist instead.

“They’re beautiful,” Adora stammered, realizing having her hands here probably wasn’t any less intimate than caressing her tattoos would’ve been, but she was frozen now anyway.

“Thanks,” Glimmer’s voice was soft, and Adora could only hope she was feeling just as paralyzed. “I got them a few years ago in honor of my dad. He was always encouraging my to fly, y’know?”

“That’s really sweet,” Adora told her, finally removing her hands from Glimmer’s waist and reaching for her hand again instead. “Do you have any more?”

“Yeah, I have—,” Glimmer paused and Adora flushed when she lifted up the side of her tank top, revealing the words “The Rebellion” scrawled across her ribcage. “—This one. Because, I mean, obviously.”

Adora was more successful in keeping her hands to herself this time, merely nodding in appreciation as Glimmer lowered her tank top. “Obviously.”

“Do you have any?” Glimmer asked as they began walking again.

“Nah,” Adora shook her head. “Not that I don’t want one. My friends and I thought about getting matching ones a few years back, but it never happened. I’m not sure what I would want though, honestly.”

“You could always plug the band for us and tattoo our name on your forehead,” Glimmer suggested so dead pan that Adora snort-giggled.

“Do you know me well enough to be making fun of my giant forehead?”

“You don’t have a giant forehead,” Glimmer objected, looking offended on her behalf. “That hair poof thing you do is just misleading.”

Reaching up, Adora tried to smooth out her hair self-consciously, but Glimmer gently brought her hand back down to her side.

“It’s cute, I’m not making fun of you.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be the first.”

Glimmer frowned at that. “Anyone who tells you that you are anything less than super hot is just jealous.”

Adora looked over to see Glimmer smiling sincerely, lavender eyes flicking once to her lips. Stopping short of the gym only a few yards away, Adora turned and took Glimmer’s other hand, tugging her close and placing them on her hips.

Emboldened by Glimmer’s genuine reassurance, Adora took the singer’s face in her hands, brushing her thumbs across her cheeks. She paused then, savoring the closeness, the way her heart was hammering wildly in her chest, and how Glimmer’s eyes seemed to sparkle when they were this close.

“Can I kiss you?” she murmured, her lips nearly brushing the singer’s anyway.

“If you don’t, I’ll hold it against you,” Glimmer replied before those sparkling eyes slipped shut and Adora eagerly closed the distance between them.

Glimmer’s lips were just as soft as Adora remembered from their first, and they moved against the blonde’s slow and sweet. She felt Glimmer’s hands tighten, fists clenching around the fabric of her shirt as she pressed closer. It was intoxicating to be this close to Glimmer, tasting her and savoring the feeling of her body, every smooth curve, pressed against her. A small sound, something between a whimper and a sigh, came from the back of Glimmer’s throat as Adora brushed her tongue along the singer’s bottom lip.

Slowly, Adora pulled away just enough to study Glimmer’s face. Her eyes opened slowly, gaze distance and unfocused.

“Do you, um—,” Glimmer paused to clear her throat when her voice cracked. “Do you have to go back to work?”

“I do… I’d love to play hooky, but I’ve never ditched a shift before,” Adora admitted, her skin beginning to tingle nervously as she realized that anyone inside the gym who happened to be looking outside right now had probably seen them.

Glimmer pursed her lips in thought and Adora was tempted to claim them again. “Well, I was just thinking… We haven’t seen each other in a week and whenever we do see each other we can’t seem to go over an hour and I’ve _really_ wanted to hang out with you, and this is my only free day for a while, and I… You… I’m just saying you could totally come over to my place if you wanted to.”

Glimmer’s cheeks flushed pink but Adora caught her chin before she could duck away. She looked up, meeting Adora’s gaze and something electric passed between them.

“As soon as my shift ends,” Adora agreed. “Just a few more hours and then I’d love to see you again.”

Glimmer nodded excitedly, her hands tightening on Adora’s hips again. “Me too. Text me, I’ll give you the address.”

Adora was fully prepared to press one last kiss to Glimmer’s lips, when the singer bounced up on her toes and did it for her, nearly knocking their teeth together in the process. Adora stumbled backwards, managing to hold both of them upright, a smile breaking the kiss before it could last much longer.

“Okay, let me know,” Glimmer reminded her, reluctantly parting, although her cheeks were still stretched in a smile as wide as Adora’s.

As she turned to leave, she paused, throwing one last thing over her shoulder. “Oh, Adora? If you’re gonna come to the show, maybe consider inviting Catra too? She might feel better if you reach out and let her know you’re upset about arguing.”

“That’s—Yeah, I guess I could. If you’re okay with that?”

Glimmer beamed. “Absolutely. I’d love to meet her.”

_Not a bad idea_, Adora mused as Glimmer waved and hurried away. Maybe Catra would change her tune if she could get to know Glimmer personally.

Or… Maybe it would be an utter disaster.

**Author's Note:**

> All thoughts/comments/concerns are welcome!  
Until next time...


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